Financial Statements 2017–18

Management's Responsibility for the Financial Statements

Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of these financial statements in accordance with Canadian public sector accounting standards, and for such internal control as management determines is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

Auditor's Responsibility

My responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on my audit. I conducted my audit in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards. Those standards require that I comply with ethical requirements and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement.

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements.

I believe that the audit evidence I have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my audit opinion.

Opinion

In my opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages as at 31 March 2018, and the results of its operations, changes in its net debt, and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with Canadian public sector accounting standards.

(a) Parliamentary authorities

OCOL is financed by the Government of Canada through parliamentary authorities. Financial reporting of authorities provided to OCOL do not parallel financial reporting according to generally accepted accounting principles since authorities are primarily based on cash flow requirements. Consequently, items recognized in the Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position and in the Statement of Financial Position are not necessarily the same as those provided through authorities from Parliament. Note 4 provides a reconciliation between the bases of reporting. The planned results amounts in the “Expenses” section of the Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position are the amounts reported in the Future-oriented Statement of Operations included in the 2017-18 Departmental Plan. The planned results amounts in the “Government funding” section of the Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position and in the Statement of Change in Net Debt were prepared for internal management purposes and have not been previously published.

Liquidity risk is the risk that OCOL will encounter difficulty in meeting its obligations associated with financial liabilities. OCOL’s objective for managing liquidity risk is to manage operations and cash expenditures within the appropriation authorized by Parliament or allotment limits approved by the Treasury Board.

Each year, OCOL presents information on planned expenditures to Parliament through the tabling of Estimates publications. These estimates result in the introduction of supply bills (which, once passed into legislation, become appropriation acts) in accordance with the reporting cycle for government expenditures. OCOL exercises expenditure initiation processes such that unencumbered balances of budget allotments and appropriations are monitored and reported on a regular basis to help ensure sufficient authority remains for the entire period and appropriations are not exceeded.

Consistent with Section 32 of the Financial Administration Act, OCOL’s policy to manage liquidity risk is that no contract or other arrangement providing for a payment shall be entered into with respect to any program for which there is an appropriation by Parliament or an item included in estimates then before the House of Commons to which the payment will be charged unless there is a sufficient unencumbered balance available out of the appropriation or item to discharge any debt that, under the contract or other arrangement, will be incurred during the fiscal year in which the contract or other arrangement is entered into.

OCOL’s risk exposure and its objectives, policies and processes to manage and measure this risk did not change significantly from the prior year.

(b) Net cash provided by Government

OCOL operates within the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF), which is administered by the Receiver General for Canada. All cash received by OCOL is deposited to the CRF, and all cash disbursements made by OCOL are paid from the CRF. The net cash provided by Government is the difference between all cash receipts and all cash disbursements, including transactions between departments of the Government.

(c) Due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF)

Amounts due from the CRF are the result of timing differences at year-end between when a transaction affects authorities and when it is processed through the CRF. Amounts due from the CRF represent the net amount of cash that OCOL is entitled to draw from the CRF without further authorities to discharge its liabilities. This amount is not considered to be a financial instrument.

(d) Expenses

Expenses are recorded on the accrual basis. Vacation pay and compensatory leave are accrued as the benefits are earned by employees under their respective terms of employment.

(e) Employee future benefits

1. Pension benefits: Eligible employees participate in the Public Service Pension Plan (Plan), a multiemployer pension plan administered by the Government of Canada. OCOL’s contributions to the Plan are charged to expenses in the year incurred and represent the total obligation to the Plan. OCOL’s responsibility with regard to the Plan is limited to its contributions. Actuarial surpluses or deficiencies are recognized in the financial statements of the Government of Canada, as the Plan’s sponsor.
2. Severance benefits: The accumulation of severance benefits for voluntary departures ceased for applicable employee groups. Due to the size of OCOL, the remaining obligation for employees who did not withdraw benefits is calculated using employee specific information.

(f) Accounts receivable

Accounts receivable are stated at the lower of cost and net recoverable value. A valuation allowance is recorded for accounts receivable where recovery is considered uncertain.

Credit risk is the risk that one party to a financial instrument will cause a financial loss for the other party by failing to discharge an obligation. The entity is not exposed to significant credit risk. The entity provides services to other government departments and agencies and to external parties in the normal course of business. Accounts receivable are due on demand. The majority of accounts receivable are due from other Government of Canada departments and agencies where there is minimal potential risk of loss. The maximum exposures the entity has to credit risk equal to the carrying value of its accounts receivable.

(g) Contingent liabilities

Contingent liabilities are potential liabilities, which may become actual liabilities when one or more future events occur or fail to occur. If the future event is likely to occur or fail to occur, and a reasonable estimate of the loss can be made, a provision is accrued and an expense recorded to other expenses. If the likelihood is not determinable or an amount cannot be reasonably estimated, the contingency is disclosed in the notes to the financial statements.

(h) Tangible capital assets

All tangible capital assets having an initial cost of $5,000 or more are recorded at their acquisition cost. OCOL does not capitalize intangible assets.

Amortization of capital assets is done on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the capital asset as follows:

(j) Measurement uncertainty

The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported and disclosed amounts of assets, liabilities and expenses reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes at March 31. The estimates are based on facts and circumstances, historical experience, general economic conditions and reflect OCOL's best estimate of the related amount at the end of the reporting period. The most significant items where estimates are used are the liability for vacation pay, employee future benefits and the useful life of tangible capital assets. Actual results could significantly differ from those estimated. Management’s estimates are reviewed periodically and, as adjustments become necessary, they are recorded in the financial statements in the year they become known.

(a) Pension benefits

OCOL’s employees participate in the Public Service Pension Plan (the ''Plan''), which is sponsored and administered by the Government of Canada. Pension benefits accrue up to a maximum period of 35 years at a rate of 2 percent per year of pensionable service, times the average of the best five consecutive years of earnings. The benefits are integrated with Canada/Québec Pension Plan benefits and they are indexed to inflation.

Both the employees and OCOL contribute to the cost of the Plan. Due to the amendment of the Public Service Superannuation Act following the implementation of provisions related to Economic Action Plan 2012, employee contributors have been divided into two groups – Group 1 related to existing plan members as of December 31, 2012 and Group 2 relates to members joining the Plan as of January 1, 2013. Each group has a distinct contribution rate.

The 2017–18 expense amounts to $1,443,190 ($1,466,267 in 2016–17). For Group 1 members, the expense represents approximately 1.01 times (1.12 times in 2016–17) the employee contributions and, for Group 2 members, approximately 1.00 times (1.08 times in 2016–17) the employee contributions.

OCOL’s responsibility with regard to the Plan is limited to its contributions. Actuarial surpluses or deficiencies are recognized in the consolidated Financial Statements of the Government of Canada, as the Plan’s sponsor.

(b) Severance benefits

Severance benefits provided to OCOL's employees were previously based on an employee's eligibility, years of service and salary at termination of employment. However, since 2011 the accumulation of severance benefits for voluntary departures progressively ceased for substantially all employees. Employees subject to these changes were given the option to be paid the full or partial value of benefits earned to date or collect the full or remaining value of benefits upon departure from the public service. As at March 31, 2018, substantially all settlements for immediate cash out were completed and the remaining obligation will be disbursed upon departure from the public service. Severance benefits are unfunded and, consequently, the outstanding obligation will be paid from future authorities.

The changes in the obligations during the year were as follows:

(a) Common services provided without charge by other government departments

During the year, OCOL received services without charge from certain common services organizations, related to accommodation, the employer’s contribution to the health and dental insurance plans, payroll services and audit services. These services provided without charge have been recorded in OCOL’s Statement of Operations and Net Financial Position as follows:

(b) Other transactions with related parties

OCOL incurred expenses from transactions in the normal course of business with other government departments, agencies and Crown corporations. These expenses exclude common services received without charge, which are already disclosed in section a). Other transactions with related parties are summarized below :

2.1 Internal control management

OCOL has a well-established governance and accountability structure to support organizational assessment efforts and oversight of its system of internal control. An organizational internal control management framework, approved by the Commissioner, is in place and includes:

• Organizational accountability structures as they relate to internal control management to support sound financial management, including roles and responsibilities of senior managers in their areas of responsibility for control management;
• Values and ethics;
• Ongoing communication and training on statutory requirements, and policies and procedures for sound financial management and control; and
• Monitoring of and regular updates on internal control management, as well as the provision of related assessment results and action plans to the Commissioner and organizational senior management and, as applicable, OCOL’s Audit and Evaluation Committee (AEC).

The AEC provides advice to the Commissioner on the adequacy and functioning of OCOL’s risk management, control and governance frameworks and processes.

2.2 Service arrangements relevant to financial statements

OCOL relies on other organizations for the processing of certain transactions that are recorded in its financial statements as follows.

4.1 Progress during fiscal year 2017-2018

During 2017-18, OCOL continued to make significant progress in assessing and improving its key controls. The following table summarizes OCOL’s progress based on the plans identified in the previous fiscal year’s annex.

4.2 Status and action plan for the next fiscal year and subsequent years

Building on progress to date, OCOL is positioned to complete the full assessment of its system of internal control of financial reporting in 2019-20. At that time, OCOL will be applying its rotational ongoing monitoring plan to reassess control performance on a risk basis across all control areas. The status and action plan for the completion of the identified control areas for the next fiscal year and for subsequent years are shown in the following table.